Never Lose Hope
by CutesyChocopie
Summary: AU : It took him five times to get a "yes" from her without getting any broken limbs instead.. A fluffy NaLu oneshot.. XD Read and Review :)


**Disclaimer : I do NOT own Fairy Tail!**

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The first time Natsu proposed to Lucy was on her sixth birthday.. He was seven then. She was wearing a light yellow frilly dress.. Her hair tied in a ponytail and Natsu couldn't avert his gaze from her even for a moment..

His best friend slash rival Gray _that bastard _was gawking at her for the first half an hour and Natsu couldn't help but divert his glaring, by challenging him on a fist fight. 'Cause no way in hell he was letting _his girl_ get stared like that.. And that's how it started.

The fight did not last long as both of them were tired and panting hard. A few bruises on their body. Everybody watching them, were laughing at the duo's usual behaviour except one. Worry was completely visible in Lucy's face. She ran to him.. He was pretty sure he was getting a hug from his long time crush but instead she slapped him so hard that he fell down on the floor.

"Hey.. What was that for?" he scowled..

"For ruining my party as well as your face.." And he knew she was worried .. Worried about him and nothing else in the world could make him grin like the fool he was at that moment. And he knew he was in love as in _young love_, the way they say it. He showed her his two hundred and forty volt grin..

"Sorry.. Mind fixing it for me?" Her eyes softened and a pretty smile showed up on her pretty face.. "How?"

"Marry me.."

_And then she kicked him hard on his gut knocking him out probably breaking a few of his bones._

The second time was when they were in elementary school. They were having a Maths Pop Quiz Test. He did not bother to study the previous night as he was busy planning pranks to put on Gray. And now he regretted it. _Badly_ regretted it since their subject teacher, Gildarts-_senpai _announced that this quiz will be affecting thirty percent of their grades - not that Natsu _cared_ .

But his mom Grandeeny thought otherwise. She threatened him that, if he failed in maths this time he was going to have to spend his summer vacation at home. Now_ that_ was more than enough for Natsu to give the subject - _his worst enemy -_ some attention.

That's when he noticed her staring at him.. She was sitting right in front of him, one of her brows raised in a questioning look. He simply shrugged and smile sheepishly scratching the back of his neck, just as always.. She face-palmed. Then she tore down a page from her note-book and started writting on it. He was confused at first but when she threw the same paper at him and returned her attention to her own quiz, he was more than sure that she was helping him. He took the paper from the ground when Gildarts wasn't looking, mumbled a soft thanks and started writing down the answers she gave him.

Natsu got a _B_ in the quiz test and he couldn't be happier. He ran all the way to the canteen where her small group of friends were chatting. She was siting at the middle of the group laughing on their casual remarks. He rushed to her and without a warning held her in a tight crushing bear hug. If she didn't know any better she could have sworn that he intended to kill her at that moment. After what felt like an hour Natsu seemed to have realized her lack of oxygen. He pulled away instantly with that stupid grin on his face again. She just frowned after regaining her composure.  
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing, _Draagneel?"_ Natsu's grin only got wider as he held her hands in his.

"Marry me.."

_She stared at him for a moment before knocking him out with the book she was holding probably intending to break his skull, since it almost did break._

The third time, it was on his house party. She was sixteen then and he just turned seventeen.

He was bored to death, and chatting about random things with his friends slash rivals - Gray and Gajeel on a table, when he noticed her at the entrance.. She was wearing a formal sun-kissed tube dress that ended up just above her knees, the dress hugging her curves beautifully.. Her blonde hair tied in a pony tail just like she did on her birthday ten years back.. A few strands were brushing against her face. She looked no less than a fairy who just descended down on the earth from heavens only to show _him_ the beauty she possessed.

He was having a hard time in moving away his gaze from her. He knew it was pretty rude, staring at someone like that. Igneel had told him many times before but how in the world could someone tell him to stop, when the girl he'd been in love with for almost ten years now, looked more than perfect tonight. Even if she always had been perfect but tonight the word alone failed to describe her.. She was _gorgeous._

After a few moments of staring he saw her walking to their table. He noticed their childhood friends Levy and Juvia by her side.. Levy was wearing a blue sundress and the latter one wearing a cute white tube dress the same as Lucy's but a little longer and a black belt tied around her waist.. Both looking nervous.  
"Hey Guys!" Lucy greeted in her usual tone with that pretty smile.. The smile that did strange things to him.

"Hey Lucy.. You look pretty.." Gray greeted back with a goofy grin and Natsu shot a death glare at him that had gone unnoticed..

"Hey bunny-girl.. Yellow suits you" Gajeel winked at her and she flushed.. Gajeel was no better than Gray and Natsu had to resist the urge to punch them both at the face. Lucy smiled at both of them feeling flustered before setting her attention on her _pinky _best friend.

"Would you not like to say something, Natsu?" she raised a brow and he smirked . "Of course!" he replied before getting up from his chair.. He walked to her and closed the distance between them by pulling her into a hug..

"I have decided that yellow is my favourite color.", he whispered in her ear and she shivered. He grinned inwardly realizing that he was the one to make her feel that way. He pulled away when she did not respond though.. That's when he noticed the dark shade of pink on her cheeks. She looked _adorable._ He smirked again before blurting out..

"Marry me.."

_She did not knock him out this time.. Instead she made sure he remembered her every moment he sees himself at the mirror for the rest of the week since her fingerprints on his face were not going to disappear anytime sooner, from the slap._

_As for Natsu.. He decided one more thing that night.. It was the best house party he ever had in years._

The fourth time was quite awkward. Awkward for her at least since Natsu wasn't one of those who really cared. It was their best friend's wedding day.. Levy and Gajeel who were getting married after three years of dating.. _Finally. _Friends and family visited from all around and wished the newly weds a happy life. Everyone was having the time of their life.

Lucy sat in a corner watching her best friend with teary eyes. They had been together for over eighteen years. And she couldn't believe Levy actually got married to the love of her life. Lucy couldn't be happier. But someone's voice on the _mic_ caught her attention at that moment.. It was _too familiar_ to avoid afterall. She looked up at the stage only to find her best friend _Natsu Dragneel _in all his glory. He was wearing that stupid grin that she happened to love the most about him - _not that she would ever admit. _He cleared his throat before locking his gaze with hers. She frowned. _Just what the hell was he doing?_

"Hey Guys! Having fun everyone?" he started and the crowd replied instantly with loud cheers.

"I know.. I know! _Metal Head _really knows how to entertain his guests.." Cheers again from the crowd confirmed his statement and Gajeel smirked proudly.

"So yeah you might be wondering why I am here?" the crowd fell silent this time, waiting for him to continue.

"Well there are two reasons actually. First, it's one of my biggest rival's wedding day.. I honestly never knew he had it in him.. I mean dating our pretty Levy and then getting married to her? I don't know about him but I always thought that Levy needed an eye surgery.. Who else agrees with me?" the crowd broke out in laughter.. Lucy rolled her eyes but laughed when she saw Gajeel shooting death glares at him .. _ Only if looks could Kill _.. Levy simply blushed feeling more or less embrassed yet couldn't help but giggle at his last remark.

Natsu smirked and then locked his gaze with Lucy again. And Lucy knew something was coming since the look on his face stated much more than necessary.. He cleared his throat dramatically to gain the attention of the crowd..

"And the second one is, I am going to announce _something really special _today.. Any guesses?" Natsu did not remove his gaze from her as Lucy stared at him with wide eyes before turning beet red. Though she hated to admit, she felt like she more or less knew what he was going to say. Her heart raced wilder with each passing sceond and she had to take deep breathes to keep herself calm. Feeling her nervousness his grin only grew wide.. "I am_ getting married to _my dream girl~..."

Everyone in the crowd gasped.. Gray who had been drinking scotch, choked in his drink. Gajeel simply frowned, shock completely visible in his eyes. _That Salamander. "Are you fucking kiddin' me?" _Gajeel growled loudly. He did not know why the hell was he so mad. But the idea of the Salamander dating a girl under his nose, and him not finding out yet, was something he couldn't brush off that easily.

Though the most shocked among all of them was none other than Lucy.. She stared at him before hissing mentally.. **_THAT BASTARD.. _**_How dare he?_

"I am not kidding _Metal Head_ .. And _Ice Princess _stop giving me _that _look.. I thought you guys already knew?" Natsu raised a brow in a questioning look while the said men only stared at him. The instant shock never leaving their faces.. He shrugged setting his attention on his "dream girl" .. He jumped off the small platform.. His confidence level grew higher with each moment seeing her all flustered like that .. He puled her off the seat and rose her off her feet into his arms.. Lucy couldn't protest the least since her body felt numb due to embrassment , considering the fact that they were being watched by more than hundred people.

"Marry me.." he whispered .. And even though it was a whisper and only she was supposed to hear that, the crowd bursted with cheers and yells. People appreciating his guts for being the _first man_ laying hands on a pretty lady like her. While the others muttered out their congratulations.

_That night though Natsu returned home with a broken nose courtesy to the punch he recieved directly on the face by none other than his dream girl._

The fifth time Natsu however proposed her officially.. Just like she imagined after being addicted to romance novels. He had asked her out for dinner and she couldn't refuse since he was after her for a whole week whining about it..

He had taken her to an expensive resturant.. They ate and danced with the flow of the music. Then it happened..

Lucy was lying her head on his chest, her eyes closed.. Her body moving in sync with him along the tunes of the song that was playing. His smell of burning wood was filling her. She never realized it till then that his smell was a combination of spices and burning wood just like him. Though she hated spices, this smell was intoxicating.. And she had to admit she loved it..

And she loved him more.. Really she did not even realize when she had fallen in love with that idiot. But she wasn't going to give away that soon even though she knew he returned her feelings in a much greater proportion. She was more in love with their friendship and did not want anything to change.

Lucy didn't realize when the music stopped suddenly .. Natsu coughed dramatically to bring her out of her thoughts.. Lucy looked up only to find those onyx robs staring down at her.. And she shivered. The stare was so intense, something she had never seen before.. There was something about those orbs tonight that made her feel like someone had replaced her bones with jelly.. He smirked and brushed a few bangs of her hair behind her ear.

"I've got something for you," he whispered in the same ear.. His voice husky.. She shuddered, as his voice alone did weird things inside her at the moment.

He pulled away, slowly going down to one knee.. He pulled out a velvet box out of his inner jacket pockets. She simply stared at him not believing that_ it really was happening.._

He opened the velvety box revealing a silver ring, with a shiny little _pink_ diamond on the top. A small _N__L _was encrypted on it.

"Marry Me, Luce.. It always had been you from the beginning and I don't ever intend to change that. Eternity is a long time but I would love to spend it with you.." Lucy felt tears running down her face instantly.. _Almost_ ruining her liner.

She simply stared at the ring with awe before turning her attention to the man in front of her.. She knew she loved him but if she ever had any doubts, then those were thrown out of her life for good at that very moment. He simply showed her his signature grin that reassured her that everything will be okay. That no matter whatever happened or what kind of relationship they are in, the bonding they had was never gonna change.. Instead he promised with that grin of his that he will make it stronger everyday..

Natsu waited patiently for an answer. But she was at a complete loss.. He had taken her off guard. How was she supposed to form a word with those trembling lips of hers? So she simply smiled and nodded before he held out her left hand and placed the ring on the ring finger. He let out a scream of joy once he was done and she giggled, the others who were watching the couple laughed and cheered for them..

After he was done yelling out his joy he turned to her pulling her towards him.. He cupped her chin, leaning down.. She closed her eyes when their lips met in a gentle kiss.. And Natsu felt her smile in the kiss..

_The broken bones from the last four tries were completely worth it, he thought.. 'Cause really Natsu couldn't care less after this._

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**A/N : It really did not turn out the way I wanted to be .. But oh well hope you like it.. Read and Review please and fav my story if you liked it XD **. Visit my profile for other stories**..**_  
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**P.S : I know I was supposed to update FGU .. But trust me I got stuck at one point and no matter how much I try it wouldn't turn out the way I want it to be.. Anyways I will try to update as soon as possible~ XD**


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